Kenya: colorful, magical, risky, diverse and full of contrasts.

Study tour IC 2011

I was talking with my MC friends here in the house about the experience in Kenya and I just realized, I have not posted about my experience in Kenya!, yeah, I don't know why but I forgot it. There are many things to say about this trip, however I want summarize it in a couple words, colorful, magical, risky, diverse and full of contrasts.

Africa as a continent is a wonderful land, you can see many contrasts in colors, accents and food. However you can see how Europe has influence in sports, food, clothes and manners. When I was in South Africa, just in the airport I could see how is an international airport after a soccer world cup, it means huge and empty, also full of special disccounts with remains of evnet's merchandising.

Kenya. When I got into the immigration was really funny the fact of get there and ask for the visa meanwhile they are writing down your name in your passport over its visa, weird; then, the immigration guy just wasked me about soccer in my country and he began to say, pibe, pibe, higuita, higuita, jum, you can imagine my face a how I know a lot about futbol I just smiled and said yeah sir.

Traffic in Kenya is the hell, because there's these "Matatu" which are small vans with music like reggueaton but with the MAX MAX volume ever, you can not even talk. I don't know how it works, the point is, the matatus are not legal. So when you are stucked in the traffict some importants things can happen, for example a huge bird, trust huge!, like one meter wings and big pbeak, kind of scary. In the other hand you can see many street workers, selling their products ans also beggars, nothing far from realyty in many countries.

I stayed firt days in a hostel, and it was good, I mean, it was not confortable at all but I felt safe at least.Then things began to turn kind of difficult. We moved to the venue, actually an university where the conference took place and it was not bad, I had right expectations about the place, so easy. Nevertheless, things began to got challenging. food was not good, not hot water, it means me angry.. by 9 days, I know.

IC was good, networking, many people, new ideas, new friends, more houses around the world and new insghts about many things which is for me why an International Congress matters.

After the congress I was planning to go to the beach, I wanted so bad, but thanks to Jonathan we changed all plans and, maybe, who knows, things happen; that day when he changed everything and we decided to go to the safari, a bus full of AIESECers crashed, two people were really bad, one of them, Elmer, the president of AIESEC in Bolivia passed away and other lady was really bad. I was close to go, you can not imagine.

I went to a real safari, I saw lions, giraffes, hippos, rhinos, baboons, leopards, elephants, crocodiles and ostriches. This is something that we have to do it once in our lives, but believe me If you can not with high emotions and chellenges all time, you should not go. 

There's another face, there's a lot poverty and honestly I was thinking many times this, we were really close to Somalia where one of the biggest ravenous hunger was happening, and is still happening, and we didn't discuss about this things, kind of paradoxical, global youth leadership together discussing about what?. just for self-reflection.

I just want to finish saying this, maybe for me Kenya was not the paradise, but it helps me to understand how global we are, at least, I'm selling everyday opportunuties for youth to go abroad and visit places like this, but at the end I can say that this is needed If you want to think beyond of your borders. I'm looking forward visit more places.

 

360° Masai Mara